Lakitu
Lakitu is an enemy in Mario games, Assist Trophy in Assist Trophy Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and the race host in Mario Kart games. Lakitu is a sub-species of a Koopa who rides on a cloud. They may be a common sub-species of a Koopa Troopa, however, they do not exactly resemble Koopas. Lakitu's heads are shaped differently. They also have smaller, round noses, unlike Koopas. Also, Lakitu wears thick, transparent glasses and has a ring pattern on his shell, unlike the hexagonal pattern on the shells of Koopas. While most Koopas have no hair at all (with the exception of Dry Bones and its sub-species: Dull Bones and Dark Dull Bones, Super Paper Mario only), Lakitus have three small strands of hair on their heads. In Mario games for Wii, Lakitu appears in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mario Kart Wii, Mario Party 8, Mario Party 9, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Paper Mario, Mario Super Sluggers, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Mario Sports Mix and Fortune Street. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Lakitu first appears in World 2-5, however they also appear in World 4-5. Lakitu is also the enemy of World 7's Enemy Course. Here in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Lakitus appear riding their clouds. Shortly after appearing, they toss Spiny Eggs down at Mario and the crew (Luigi, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad), which later become Spinies. They are usually too high to reach when it comes to attacking, however, Lakitus can be defeated in this game. If one had to use a Fire Flower and fire a Fireball at it, the Lakitu will be defeated. It's cloud will still be there, however. This allows players to have access to Lakitu's Cloud, which they can jump to. After obtaining its cloud, they can ride around high above the main ground and reach secrets and other stuff that normally would be inaccessible to the player. However, the cloud has a limited time to be used before it disappears, making another Lakitu appear. Also, when the player has Yoshi and they jump up to a height almost or exactly level to the Lakitu, they can let Yoshi eat Lakitu. This also defeats the Lakitu. Lakitu can also be jumped on an defeated. In World 4-5, there are white blocks that can be jumped into to cause a Lakitu to appear and toss Coins down at the player. However, just like regular Lakitus, Mario and the crew can still be harmed if they touch this Lakitu itself, meaning that if any Lakitu is touched, one will be harmed. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, Lakitus appear as rare enemies. They do make an appearance in the Yoshi Star Galaxy and Starshine Beach Galaxy. They toss Spiny Eggs down at Mario/Luigi, which become Spinies afterwards. While on Yoshi, one could make Yoshi eat Lakitu's Cloud or stuff a Spiny Egg in Yoshi's mouth (note: Spinies become Spiny Eggs the first time Yoshi tries to put one in his mouth) and spit it at Lakitu. This will knock Lakitu off his cloud, causing him to fall down onto the ground and wave his arms and legs for a short while. Mario/Luigi can then either run into the Lakitu, which causes them to kick the enemy, jump on it, or Spin it, which will defeat it and release some Star Bits or a Coin. However, if Mario/Luigi does not use this time (when Lakitu is on the ground) wisely, Lakitu will eventually create another cloud and continue his process of tossing Spiny Eggs down to the ground. Also, Lakitus will respawn shortly after one has been defeated. Lakitus can also be stunned by firing a Star Bit at it via the Star Cursor. However, they have a shorter time when it comes to being stunned than most other enemies in the game. One notable Lakitu appears in the Yoshi Star Galaxy; his name is Giga Lakitu. He attacks just like a regular Lakitu (the same tactics used to defeat a Lakitu are used to defeat Giga Lakitu as well) except the fact that he is larger than most Lakitus, a little different in appearance, and uses a lightning attack on his last "life".In Mario Kart Wii, Lakitu is a race referee who rides on his cloud carrying items with a fishing pole (this type of Lakitu who carries a fishing pole is really a sub-species of Lakitu known as a Fishin' Lakitu). Depending on what position you're in, the item he's carrying will vary. When Lakitu starts a race, he carries a traffic light-like object. If you're driving backwards he comes in front of you carrying a "reverse" (turn around) sign. If you fall off the edge of a track, into water, Lava, etc, Lakitu rescues you, carrying you on the fishing pole and dropping you. This is a waste of time, so try avoiding it. Lakitu also appears when you complete a race. When the player completes a lap, Lakitu will appear with a sign saying "new lap" or "final lap" depending on which lap the player has completed and which one is next. These are the only times Lakitu actually appears. Other than those four appearances, Lakitu is not there. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Lakitu is one of the many Assist Trophy characters. He drops Spiny Eggs that become Spinies, which do Damage to players. Lakitu's appearance in the game as an Assist Trophy, however, is based from the original, Super Mario Bros. Lakitu and also has his own Trophy, however, it is shared with the Spinies. Also, their trophy shows them in their 8-Bit, Super Mario Bros. form. In Mario Party 8, Lakitu appears in Test for the Best. Here in this minigame, Lakitu holds up the "6000 point" sign with his fishing pole. One Lakitu also appears in Glacial Meltdown, and surprisingly, he tosses Buzzy Beetles at players. The players could then jump on and use the Buzzy Beetles tossed at them to hit their opponents. In Mario Party 9, Lakitu is one of the 12 bosses in the game. It is the miniboss of the first board, Toad Road. Players fight it in the minigame, Sock It to Lakitu. Players must attack it by hitting blocks that send various numbers of Bullet Bills towards Lakitu, damaging him. Lakitu attacks the players by tossing Spinies at the ground, which take away points if they bump into players. When half of his health is depleted, Lakitu tosses a larger Spiny onto the ground, which takes away two points from any player it bumps into. Once Lakitu is defeated, he will disappear. In Super Paper Mario, Lakitu appeared as a rare enemy. They were only seen in areas in The Dotwood Tree and Overthere Stair. A Lakitu named Laki, who originally appeared in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, was given a reference in some of Merlee's Mansion graffiti. A Lakitu can also appear as one of the randomly-generated (created) characters of the Japanese Super Paper Mario website. Lakitu's Catch Card in the game states the reasons why Lakitu throws Spiny Eggs down at opponents: it is because "someone made fun of its glasses". It is hinted that Laki wrote the graffiti on the wall in Merlee's Basement. In Mario Super Sluggers, a Lakitu appears and takes the role as an umpire. He calls the strikes, outs, and announces the start and end of any game in the game. In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Lakitus take the role as referees. In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, a special Lakitu asks Princess Daisy to compete in two events which would give them the Curling Puck for Curling Bowling. Lakitu also appears in Extreme Snowboarding where he informs players what lap they are on, much like he does in Mario Kart games. In Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Lakitu also appears in London Party Mode. In Mario Sports Mix, Lakitu is the referee for Basketball, Ice Hockey, and Dodgeball. He drops the hockey puck in matches during face-off, and throws the dodgeball or basketball in the air for basketball and dodgeball matches during a tip-off. Finally, in the late 2011 game Fortune Street, Lakitu appears when a venture card is drawn with him on it. He closes every shop for the day that he passes over. Lakitu's (and Spinies') Trophy Description in SSBB A particular stubborn breed of Koopa. Lakitus chase Mario aboard clouds and attack by throwing Spiny Eggs down from above. More recently, Lakitus have taken over the role of cameramen, filming with cameras that they dangle from long rods. Spinies are Koopa creatures with tough, spiked shells. Jumping on them has no effect, but fireballs can dispatch them. Gallery MP9 Lakitu Icon.png|This is Lakitu's icon in Mario Party 9. MSM 1-1 Hockey.png|Lakitu prepares to drop the hockey puck in an Ice Hockey match in Mario Sports Mix. Longjump.png|Mario in a Long Jump match. Lakitu can be seen in the background if you look carefully (click the picture for a bigger, better view if needed). This is in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Daisy-mss-intro-2.png|Lakitu appears behind Daisy in the opening of Mario Super Sluggers. 26.png|This picture shows Lakitu's Catch Card from Super Paper Mario. BrawlLakitu.jpg|Mario tries to dodge the Spiny Eggs that Lakitu drops. This is in the Skyworld stage of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. SockIttoLakitu1-MP9.png|Mario, Princess Peach, Yoshi and Wario battle Lakitu in "Sock It to Lakitu" of Mario Party 9. MP8 GlacialMeltdown.jpg|Look carefully (click the picture for a bigger, better view if needed). Near Princess Peach, Lakitu can be seen hovering above the large ice platform. This is in Glacial Meltdown of Mario Party 8. DryDryRuins5.png|Look Carefully (click the picture for a bigger, better view if needed). To the left of Yoshi above him, Lakitu can be seen holding the "Final Lap" sign. 4-5nsmbwii.png|A Lakitu attacks Mario and Yoshi in World 4-5 of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. 2-5nsmbw.png|A Lakitu attacks Penguin Mario and Yoshi in World 2-5 of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Galaxybig 0363.jpg|Look carefully (click the picture for a bigger, better view if needed). A Lakitu can be seen here to the left of Mario and Yoshi, who have just destroyed a glass cage. This is in the Yoshi Star Galaxy of Super Mario Galaxy 2. SMG2 Lakitu.png|This is a sprite of a Lakitu from Super Mario Galaxy 2. Lakitu NSMBW.png|This is a sprite of a Lakitu from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. MP9_Lakitu_Bust.png|This is the artwork of Lakitu in Mario Party 9. Trivia *After being asked what character best represented him best, Shigeru Miyamoto replied that Lakitu would, for he "seems to be very free, floating in the air, going anywhere". This is a personality that Miyamoto can possibly relate to. *Unlike regular, present-time Koopa Troopas, Lakitus do not wear shoes. *Lakitu's glasses in earlier games before Wii used to be solid white in color, but they now appear to be transparent. Category:Mario Kart Wii Category:Super Smash Bros. Brawl assist trophies Category:Enemies Category:Mario enemies Category:Characters Category:Bosses in Mario Party 9